CHAPTER 31: A TOUGH BATTLE II

The white smoke dissipated from his hand, and Arlo heavily panted for breath.

His right eye, two feet, and both hands were all completely covered in blood. The others part of his body, though, not as heavily wounded as the others, were still not unscathed. After all, the concentrated Ki had to streak around his body, causing his muscles and blood vessels to split apart.

The others were all stunned on the spot and even after a few breaths, no one moved.

Several breaths passed.

"NO!" Leo suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs as he quickly launched the raised stone spear at the now-freed Torkun.

*Whoosh.*

The Torkun slightly shifted its body causing the stone spear to pierce its right chest instead of its heart.

*Roar!* It released a pained roar; a large-sized hole now present in its right chest.

Tens of thick long branches erupted from the ground, lashing about within the range of their attack.

*Bam!* Arlo, Dio, and Rio were sent flying.

Leo charged at the Torkun, moving around the flying branches with a swift movement, and not before long he flashed in front of the Torkun, his mouth wide open as he pounced at its neck.

The Torkun quickly raised its right arm to defend.

*Spurt!* A fountain of blood gushed out.

*Whoosh* The Torkun's left fist flashed beside Leo's beastly head.

*Bam!*

Leo's eyes rolled back into his head for a few breaths, but he still refused to let go.

"Rio, you help Leo. I will take care of this brat and be right back," Dio shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Alright," Rio readily agreed as he made his way to support Leo in battle.

*Whoosh.*

Dio pounced on Arlo, however, Arlo quickly pulled back.

"Boy, to think you would be this strong, yet I can't feel any mana from you," Dio's voice was filled with curiosity.

However, he quickly shoved his curiosity to the back of his mind and willed the mana in his beastly body.

"Earth shards!"

Countless particles of sand rose from the ground, joined, and solidified to form small projectiles.

A determined glint flashed in Arlo's eyes.

"Once more!"

*Whoosh.*

The surrounding Ki surged wildly into his body and Arlo focused all the accumulated Ki on his heavily injured right foot.

"GO!" Dio shouted. He sensed a foreboding feeling and immediately launched his spell at Arlo, as he didn't dare to continue to dawdle. He followed suit to capture Arlo once he had been injured.

However...

*Whoosh.*

Arlo suddenly disappeared from his sight.

"What?" Dio's heart skipped a beat.

.....

[Arlo's POV]

I gazed at the fast-approaching projectiles and the cat-like beast that followed right behind.

I couldn't stop a light breath from escaping my lips.

*Haa.*

I willed the surrounding Ki into my body and sent them all to my right foot.

What followed?

I flashed forward at such a speed that the previously fast-approaching attacks now seemed to move at a tortoise's pace.

*Swish!*

I ignored all the attacking stone fragments, and I arrived right below the head of the sprinting Dio, who in my eyes seemed to be stopped in time.

In this slowed-down time, I let out a light breath as I bent my knees in a ready-to-jump position.

*Bang!* With the concentrated Ki on my right foot, I kicked off the ground.

However...

In a far slower frame of time, the concentrated Ki streaked through my body, instantly arriving on my left foot, and I kicked off with it as well.

As a result, what actually echoed out was the sound:

*Ba-Bang!*

My body turned into a white blur as I streaked upward like a launched missile, my right knee slamming under Dio's chin.

*Craaaaaack!*

Dio's neck bent at an unnatural angle and the light of life slowly faded from his eyes.

Still in mid-air, I back-flipped gracefully and landed back on the ground.

*PAA!*

I collapsed on my knees while Dio's corpse fell to the ground.

*Haa, haa.*

My vision became blurry. The pain I felt in my feet was so excruciatingly painful that I almost fainted on the spot.

A pool of blood was beginning to form below my legs.

However, before I could recover, an anxious and angry voice resounded:

"DIO!" Rio suddenly moved away from his battle and charged angrily at me.

I knew I could not concentrate 100% Ki on one part anymore as my body had reached its limit.

Therefore, gritting my teeth from the pain, I willed 50% Ki at both feet before I charged in the opposite direction of the approaching Rio.

"You cannot escape, you little bastard."

" I will catch you, eat your flesh, and drink your blood."

'I am tired.' I could feel Rio quickly closing on me. As I ran, I left behind two lines of blood in my path.

I could feel the strength draining from my body.

A humongous tree appeared before me.

Gritting my teeth, I ran straight at the tree, with Rio right behind me.

*Whoosh.*

I ran atop the tree trunk.

I could feel Rio pouncing in my direction, so I kicked off the tree and back-flipped above Rio's wide-opened mouth.

Looking down from the side of my eyes, I could see Rio's gaze on me, his mouth catching empty air.

However, once I reached the back of Rio's head. I grabbed the two long trails of flesh, drawing them along in my flight.

When the two long lines of flesh were drawn to the limit, I willed the 50% concentrated Ki at both my feet to my hands, then...

I yanked on the long lines of flesh, my body propelled forward from the recoil as I turned into a drill.

*Vruuuuuuu!*

I drilled into the back of Rio's neck and out his body, my speed not reduced at all as I drilled into the tree trunk before I finally smashed into the thick soil.

Rio's body fell to the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief before every traces of life disappeared from his eyes.

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